The present invention relates to a tire condition monitoring apparatus for monitoring the condition of the tires of a vehicle and permitting a driver in a passenger compartment to monitor the tire condition, and more particularly, to a structure for registering identification data of a transmitter in a receiver.
Conventionally, a wireless type tire condition monitoring apparatus has been used for permitting a driver in the passenger compartment to monitor the condition of the tires. The apparatus includes transmitters, each of which is associated with a different one of the tires and is attached to a wheel of the tire, and a receiver mounted in the body frame of the vehicle Each of the transmitters detects the condition of the associated tire, such as the tire pressure and the interior temperature of the tire, and wirelessly transmits a signal including data that indicates the detection results to the receiver. On receiving the signal, the receiver displays the condition of the tire on a display, which is located, for example, in the passenger compartment.
A specific identification data (ID code) is given to each of the transmitters. Each transmitter transmits signals that include data of the tire condition and the given ID code. On the other hand, the ID codes of all the transmitters associated with the vehicle to which the receiver is mounted are registered in the receiver. When the ID code included in the received signal matches with one of the registered ID codes, the receiver continues processing the received signal. However, if the ID code included in the received signal differs from any of the registered ID codes, the receiver does not process the received signal. Therefore, the receiver is prevented from processing signals from a transmitter that is not associated with the vehicle to which the receiver in mounted.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-153703 discloses a structure for registering an ID code or a transmitter in the receiver. According to the above publication, when registering the ID code of the transmitter to the receiver, the operation mode of the receiver is switched from a monitoring mode for monitoring the tire condition to a registration mode for registering the ID code. In this state, a control tool is located close to one of the transmitters and an instruction signal is sent to the transmitter from the control tool. Then, in response to the instruction signal, the transmitter sends a signal including data of the tire condition and the ID code. When the receiver that is in the registration mode receives the signal from the transmitter, the receiver registers (stores) the ID code included in the signal. Therefore, by transmitting signals from all the transmitters on the vehicle using the control tool, the ID codes of all the transmitters are registered in the receiver. After registering the ID codes, the operation mode of the receiver is switched back to the monitoring mode.
However, according to the structure of the above publication, when registering the ID code of the transmitter to the receiver, the operation mode of the receiver need to be switched manually, and the control tool need to be manipulated to permit the transmitter to transmit a signal Thus, registering the ID codes to the receiver is troublesome.
The objective of the present invention is to provide a tire condition monitoring apparatus that easily registers identification data of a transmitter to a receiver.
To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides an apparatus for monitoring the condition of a tire mounted to a vehicle The apparatus includes a commander, a transmitter, and a receiver. The commander includes an operation switch and transmits an instruction signal when the operation switch is turned-on. The transmitter is attached to the tire. The transmitter includes a tire condition sensor, which detects the condition of the tire, a receiving portion, which receives the instruction signal, and a transmitting portion, which transmits a response signal upon receiving the instruction signal. The response signal includes a specific identification data given to the transmitter in advance. The receiver is located in the body of the vehicle. The receiver includes a receiving portion, which receives a signal transmitted from the transmitter, and a rewritable ID memory, which stores the identification data of the transmitter. When the operation switch is turned-on, the commander conveys the turned-on state of the operation switch to the receiver. When receiving the response signal while the commander is conveying the turned-on state of the operation switch to the receiver, the receiver stores the identification data in the response signal in the ID memory.
The present invention also provides an apparatus for monitoring the condition of a tire mounted to a vehicle. The apparatus includes a commander, a transmitter, and a receiver. The commander includes an operation switch and transmits an instruction signal when the operation switch is turned-on. The transmitter is attached to the tire. The transmitter includes a tire condition sensor, which detects the condition of the tire, a receiving portion, which receives the instruction signal, and a transmitting portion, which transmits a response signal upon receiving the instruction signal. The response signal includes a specific identification data given to the transmitter in advance. The receiver is located in the body of the vehicle. The receiver includes a receiving portion, which receives a signal transmitted from the transmitter, and a rewritable ID memory, which stores the identification data of the transmitter. The commander includes a receiving portion, which receives the response signal from the transmitter. When receiving the response signal, the commander sends the identification data in the response signal to the receiver. When receiving the identification data sent from the commander, the receiver stores the identification data in the ID memory.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.